A few painting questions

[Julian]

I have a few paint-related questions...

I have an open-frame staircase a bit like this google image that I found (http://artisticstairs-us.com/wp-content ... 988774.jpg). Currently the treads are a pretty nasty pine finish that definitely won't go with the new laminate floors that I will be putting down. If money was no object I would get the stair treads remade in oak to match the new floors but that will be too expensive so I am thinking of painting the wooden treads a dark grey colour. One of my neighbours did this and it looks pretty good but he is away so I can't find out what paint he used and I'd like to move forward quite quickly.

What would be an appropriate type of paint to use on the stair treads that will adhere to wood and be durable enough to carry fairly frequent foot traffic? I see specialist floor paints or even paints designed to be used for truck beds but the specialist floor paints that I have seen all specify concrete as the surface that they are designed for (warehouse/industrial floors etc I think) and the truck bed liners typically only come in at best a couple of colours. Can anyone advise on something durable enough that will adhere to wood and ideally comes in colours other than black? Since it will be on a staircase I also need to consider non-slip properties which is why I am hoping that the specialist commercial floor paints might adhere to wood even though the data sheets of the ones that I have seen only talk about surface preparation for concrete.

The supporting structure for my staircase is metal that is currently painted a sort of light grey colour that looks pretty uninspiring and is also showing very definite signs of not having been repainted for about the last 12 years. For this I am thinking of getting a paint, presumably designed for metal, in some sort of silver-ish brushed stainless steel type of finish. I've seen these sort of silver-ish paint finishes in photographs that look great, I've even seen the same sort of finish painted onto wooden furniture that again looks great in photographs but it does leave me wondering whether this might be a case where the camera actually does lie. Has anyone attempted such a stainless steel like paint finish on metal and how did it work out? Is there any particular type of paint you would recommend?

This is all part of a renovation of my holiday apartment and ideally I would have had all the paint work completed before the new flooring goes down. Unfortunately things haven't quite gone to plan and flooring now needs to go down before a couple of paint jobs have been finished. I assume that whatever paint is recommended for the staircase, particularly the floor treads, will not be easily removed without marks were any to spill on the new floor so I should ensure that the area under and around the staircase is protected to the n-th degree. For the treads I can actually remove them and have them painted somewhere else but the metal framing/support-structure will need to be painted in situ.

For my final question - just how paranoid do I need to be about interior matt wall emulsion getting onto the new laminate flooring? I'm pretty sure that emulsion is quite easy to get off with absolutely zero marking left behind, it can be simply picked off when dry using one's fingernails, but it would slightly reduce my stress levels if someone who actually knew what they were talking about could confirm or correct that impression. Skirting board wood paint I can imagine might be more of a challenge to get off but I assume that is a case of masking up right up to the edge of the skirting and then being very careful with the paint brush.

I was planning to get people in to do all this stuff but to make sure that suitable care is taken I might do the skirtings and metal staircase frame myself. If emulsion comes off wooden floors easily that is less of a concern and if I have a decorator paint the stair treads in my garage that won't be an issue either.

- Julian

[supremetwo]

I have a few paint-related questions...
What would be an appropriate type of paint to use on the stair treads that will adhere to wood and be durable enough to carry fairly frequent foot traffic? I see specialist floor paints or even paints designed to be used for truck beds but the specialist floor paints that I have seen all specify concrete as the surface that they are designed for (warehouse/industrial floors etc I think) and the truck bed liners typically only come in at best a couple of colours. Can anyone advise on something durable enough that will adhere to wood and ideally comes in colours other than black? Since it will be on a staircase I also need to consider non-slip properties which is why I am hoping that the specialist commercial floor paints might adhere to wood even though the data sheets of the ones that I have seen only talk about surface preparation for concrete.
- Julian

Look for a two pack paint, e.g.
https://www.teamac.co.uk/products/categ ... ce-topcoat

https://taindustrialpaints.co.uk/floor-paint-for-wood/

Most boatyards stock these paints.

[bungeejumper]

For my final question - just how paranoid do I need to be about interior matt wall emulsion getting onto the new laminate flooring? I'm pretty sure that emulsion is quite easy to get off with absolutely zero marking left behind, it can be simply picked off when dry using one's fingernails, but it would slightly reduce my stress levels if someone who actually knew what they were talking about could confirm or correct that impression. Skirting board wood paint I can imagine might be more of a challenge to get off but I assume that is a case of masking up right up to the edge of the skirting and then being very careful with the paint brush.

You can do it safely if you're careful enough in preparing the room. I recently had to do some fairly extensive ceiling repairs in the lounge (badly sagging ceiling!) and then repaint it all without lifting the carpet. (Don't ask. But it was quite a good carpet.) I started in by covering the floor with a decent waterproof tarpaulin (you can get them in various grades - expect to pay >£25 ), and followed through with a couple of polythene dust sheets (again, don't get the cheapest/thinnest), and then a cloth sheet just to make sure that my stepladder didn't puncture the other layers.

Painting was then very straightforward, and the whole job was done without tears, or indeed tears.

WRT the staircase, I'd want to know what it had been finished with before I chose my paint to cover it. Some naked wood surfaces are oiled, and nearly all of them will have been wax polished at some time or other! Will throw off many types of paint. Best to ask your decorator if you're in any doubt. At the very least a wash-down with white spirit and then something like sugar soap would seem to be sensible. Then comes the sanding......

BJ